Playing Nice
by FourNox
Summary: 'Loki isn't completely sure when he decided that being a good person held more value than power, and he isn't sure if he really did make the right choice. But Loki is sure that, given another chance, he would do the same again.' My take on what would have happened if Loki had never been evil and had, instead, joined the Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes.


**So, I was watching the Avengers for the 50th time, and I thought to myself: 'The Chitauri could have easily attacked without Loki's help… And how cute would it be if Loki was an Avenger!' And lo, this fic was born!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Thor or Marvel characters/Movies... Or Burger King, unfortunately.**

**CHAPTER ONE**

Asgard- Thor's banishment

"Father…"**********  
**

"ARGH!" Loki's attempt at breaking into the conversation was quickly growled into submission by the golden Allfather, his anger at his oldest son making his voice all the more intimidating. Loki quickly shrank back.

Thor winced guiltily. His brother was now being reprimanded for his foolishness… Again.

Odin quickly turned back to Thor to issue his sentence. "Thor Odinson, you have betrayed the express command of your king. Through your arrogance and stupidity, you have opened these peaceful realms and innocent lives to the horror and desolation of war! You are unworthy of these realms! You're unworthy of your TITLE! YOU'RE UNWORTHY!.. of the loved ones you have betrayed. I now take from you your power! In the name of my father and his father before, I, Odin Allfather, CAST YOU OUT!" Odin raised his mighty spear for the final judgement, his power causing his entire body to glow.

"FATHER!" Loki's uncharacteristically loud shout startled the Allfather enough to momentarily put off the sentence. Loki took a deep breath before continuing, his inhumanly green eyes never leaving his father's stormy black ones. "Send me with him." He said, the determination in his voice unmistakable.

These four simple words immediately set Thor off.

"Father! You cannot punish Loki for my foolishness! It was entirely my own fault!" Thor exclaimed, panicked. He did not know what he would face in his banishment, he was horrified at the idea that Loki might have to suffer through whatever horrid place awaited as well.

"Do not listen. I knew very well what this trip would bring, yet I did not stop him. I deserve to be punished as well as him." Loki argued, his temper flaring at his brother. Why couldn't the fool understand? Wherever he was going, he would need Loki's help! Or at least his brains.

"ENOUGH!" Odin roared, slamming Gungnir down onto the ground. "If you so desire to go into seclusion with your brother, Loki Odinson, then you shall have your wish. I banish you both. BEGONE!"

With a single swipe from his staff, Odin called open the bifrost to swallow up the two forms. One tall, broad, and muscular, his large hands reaching out to the portal in a futile attempt at remaining in the only home he had ever known. The other was thin, lithe, and willowy. Loki's form kept his hands neatly tucked across his chest, knowing that any attempt at halting the inevitable would only serve to further hurt his father. This decision could not have been an easy one to make.

"Was that wise, my King?" asked the deep voice of Heimdall, the Gatekeeper. "to send both of your sons out. Where shall the throne go if you should fall into the Odinsleep?"

Odin sighed as he stared at the spot his two sons once occupied. "I know the risks Heimdall, but there was no other way to teach Thor his lesson." He replied at length. "So I pray I do not fall. Not yet."

As Odin turned and stepped onto the bifrost bridge, he looked up into the stars that hung above the golden gates of Asgard. "Be safe, my sons." He whispered. "Be safe, and return greater than you were."

"Jane, you might wanna take a look at this…" Darcy's tentative voice shook Jane from her conversation with Erik. She turned and looked out of the window of the SUV, her eyes widening as she took in the dark thunderclouds gathering close by.

"Holy. Shatner." Jane exclaimed, looking at the lightning storm in shock.

"That's your 'subtle aurora'?" Selvig asked incredulously.

"No- Yes! Let's go!" Jane cried. Darcy practically leapt to attention, starting the large vehicle and driving quickly toward the swirling mass of clouds.

Jane quickly stood, her upper body poking out of the sunroof. She lifted a video camera excitedly, taping the clouds forming above. The van suddenly dropped sharply, hitting a rock on it's wild path towards the anomaly. Jane's body lurched, almost being thrown from the car before Erik grabbed her shirt, hauling her back.

"Isn't this great?!" asked Jane, her spirits apparently undaunted by her near demise. "Wait… You guys are seeing this too, right? I'm not crazy?"

"That's debatable! Now put your seatbelt on!" Erik yelled over the howling winds.

There suddenly came a blinding light from the clouds, the darkened mass loosing a swirling tornado from it's depths.

"You've got to get us closer so I can take a magnetic reading!" Jane yelled, looking over to the driver's seat.

"Ha ha! Good one!" Darcy giggled, thinking that Jane was joking. One look at the woman's face, however, quickly dashed those hopes. " Oh god… you're serious?!"

"Do you want those college credits or not?!" Jane asked, thinking she had Darcy trapped. The girl wouldn't risk failing, would she?

There then came a loud crash from the funnel, bright lightning bursting down from the clouds, rocking the SUV.

That was it. Darcy was done. "Keep the credits! I'll intern at Burger King!" She shouted back, jerking the wheel sharply away from the oncoming storm.

"What are you doing?!" Jane exclaimed, reaching out toward the wheel.

"Saving our lives!" Darcy yelled back as they grappled for the wheel.

Suddenly, there was a flash of bright light. The SUV careened to the side, trying and failing to avoid the stream of light that shot down from the clouds. The multicolored surge blinded Jane and Darcy to slam into the two forms that appeared within the rainbow-like jet. The car came to a dead stop, leaving the occupants in shocked silence for a few moment before they all scrambled out of the car in unison, crowding around the two forms lying on the ground.

"I think that was legally your fault." Darcy said.

"Get the first aid kit." Jane replied, all but oblivious to Darcy's remark.

"Do me a favor and don't be dead." Jane said, kneeling next to the men, Erik hovering protectively off to the side.

Suddenly, the blonde form groaned and opened his eyes blearily, which were a startling sky blue. As the man's bright blue eyes locked onto Jane's honeyed brown ones, they both froze for a moment. The spell was soon broken as Darcy clamored from the car, holding the first aid kit loosely. She stopped in her tracks as she spied the blonde man, her mouth falling open as she eyed his handsome features.

"Does he need CPR? 'Cuz I know CPR." Darcy quipped, her comment bringing Jane back to the situation at hand.

"His eyes-..." Jane began, before being cut off."

"Are beautiful."

"Are dialating. Which is good." Jane finished, throwing Darcy an annoyed look.

"We should still get them to a hospital." Erik said, staring at the men on the ground, still astonished by their sudden materialization.

Jane gasped, as a thought suddenly occurred to her. "Did we get a reading on the storm?!"

"Jane…" replied Selvig disapprovingly.

Jane sighed, looking up at the quickly dissipating storm regretfully.

"Where did they come from?" she mused aloud.

A gasp from the ground shook her from her wondering, forcing her to look back toward the ground. The second man, this one scrawnier, with dark hair and vibrant green eyes, shot up from where he lay on the ground, his eyes darting this way and that. Once his eyes landed on the blonde, however, he seemed to calm somewhat.

"Loki." gasped the blonde, turning fully toward the dark haired man. "You are uninjured?"

"Aye Thor. And you?"

"I am well." He leapt suddenly to his feet, the dark haired man, Loki, following him more smoothly.

Thor suddenly looked around, his eyes growing wide as they did not see the one thing that had been his constant companion throughout his life… besides Loki that is.

"Hammer? HAMMER?!" Thor yelled, stumbling about in a pitiable search.

"Yeah, we can all tell you're pretty hammered." Darcy said.

"FATHER! HEIMDALL! I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME! OPEN THE BRIDGE!"

"Thor…" Loki said, his voice a mixture of annoyance and pity.

Thor turned towards the mortals, his voice rising with panic. "YOU! Where am I?! What realm is this?!"

"It's alright friend." said Erik soothingly, putting his hand gently onto Thor's shoulder. "We're going to get you some help."

Thor angrily shoved Selvig off as Darcy reached slowly into her pack and pulled something out of it, pointing it at Thor's broad chest.

"Erik… Get away…" said Jane in concern.

**I hope you like my newest story. I know I shouldn't start this without finishing my old one, but I can't help it. I can't get into the old one lately. Maybe this will jump-start my imagination! Enjoy!**

**-Nox  
**


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